Is it permissible to establish two Friday prayers in a city whose main mosque has enough worshippers for all of them?

The questioner : Is it permissible to establish two Friday prayers in a city whose main mosque has enough worshippers for all of them?

The Shaykh : If the questioner’s intent with “is it permissible” is “is it valid” in the case where the Friday prayer is performed in each of the two mosques, then the answer is: Yes, it is valid; because there is no report in the Sunnah regarding the unity of the Friday prayer in one city. However, if the intent of the question “is it permissible” is “is it prescribed,” meaning prescribed in a way that does not contradict validity, then the answer is: It is not prescribed; I mean: this is contrary to the Sunnah; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is established to have had several mosques in his time, and several prayers were performed in them, unlike the Friday prayer; for it was not performed except in his mosque (peace and blessings be upon him). So gathering in one mosque is an intended matter from the Lawgiver, but if people neglect this and perform the Friday prayer in more than one mosque, then what can be said is: this is contrary to the Sunnah, whereas the prayer itself is valid if the other conditions of validity are met.

The questioner : You have done well.